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I'm amazed by how many people are answering 9-plus hours. What's with all the people I see who have their toddlers and elementary school-aged kids in restaurants at 9 p.m.? I see them every time I eat at places like Chipotle, Pei Wei, etc. I can't even stand to go in mid- to low-priced restaurants prior to 8 p.m. because they are packed with kids being fed their dinner.
I fully understand that single-parent households and ones where both parents work often eat out a lot. But who are these hundreds of people who feed their children so late they couldn't possibly get to bed until after 10 p.m. and they still go to school the next day? Aside from the kids being sleep-deprived, no doubt the parents are, too.
My kids' school start time is 9:15, so while a 9 p.m. dinner would be late, if we happened to be out for some reason (maybe an after school activity) it could happen. I probably wouldn't choose a sit-down restaurant though, but rather something that was fast, so we could get in and out quickly.
Or, the kids may be home schooled, or they may have a year-round school that was on track-out, or they may be on vacation. Any number of reasons, really. And my 3-year old doesn't need to be up at any particular time, and often takes a late afternoon nap, so his being up at 9 or 10 at night is not unusual.
I wouldn't assume bad parenting or that the kids are sleep-deprived, just based on a one-time encounter with them.
I wouldn't assume bad parenting or that the kids are sleep-deprived, just based on a one-time encounter with them.
Sometimes you can base an opinion on a one time encounter. When my washer or dryer breaks down, I'm always appalled at the number of parents who have children at the Laundromat after midnight. If you've ever been to Walmart in the middle of the night on a school night, you can't help but wonder how those children function in school the next day.
Sometimes you can base an opinion on a one time encounter. When my washer or dryer breaks down, I'm always appalled at the number of parents who have children at the Laundromat after midnight. If you've ever been to Walmart in the middle of the night on a school night, you can't help but wonder how those children function in school the next day.
But who says those kids even have to be at school the next day? The days of all kids having the same school schedule are long gone.
Wow.....super human powers to judge people by sight. You may get it right sometimes. ...but i don't doubt you've been wrong more than correct overall.
Nope. The other way around. I'm more accurate with who is an addict than who isn't an addict because people early in their addictions don't have as many signs.
I've been looking after this little girl for the past few days.
She seems to wake about an hour or two early and tosses and turns. I'm wondering if she is getting too much sleep so thought I'd ask others how much sleep you give your kids about this age.
Very nice for you to take care of her the past few days.
Please don't be concerned. It's simply that she is not in her own bed and in our own house. She may LOVE being with you (and I bet she does, if you're this concerned about her ) -- but that doesn't matter. It's not her home. That's all.
My son (7.5) both goes to bed around 6 pm, and then sometimes conks right out or else will read for an hour or two. Then he gets up around 5:45 or 6 AM. We never have dinner later than about 4 or 5 PM for that reason, except when we're on vacation and our schedules are thrown off anyway. Even then, the latest I would go to a restaurant would be maybe 7, 7:30.
My 6.5 year old has a very similar schedule. She sometimes takes a little longer to wind down, so she'll play in her room quietly... sometimes up until 8 or so. She's also up early.
Do my kids need a lot more sleep than others their age? I don't know. They both have ADHD so they are going a zillion miles an hour when they're up during the day. Maybe they use up more energy than other kids, so need to recuperate more?
By the way, we homeschool. When we tried our son out at public school, he was up hours before it was ready to leave, and by the end of the day he was so tired he'd be falling asleep in his dinner plate at 4, leaving zero time for any other activities, sports, homework... etc.) It bugs me when kids' activities like scouts, sports, etc. START at 6 pm or later.
We are severely limited in what they can participate in, unless it's on a Saturday morning. =/
I think every child is different. Some need more, some less.
At 7 1/2, our son would usually sleep 9 1/2 hours, be totally fine, and then just crash for 12 hours out of the blue. He had a consistent bedtime routine, but there were periods where he just wouldn't fall to sleep quickly.
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) -- but that doesn't matter. It's not her home. That's all. 
